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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I had great hopes for this book. The story of Nicholas Flamel is timeless in nature. Nicholas Flamel is a legend; he has been making an elixir to sustain his youth for centuries. Flamel found the recipe for the elixir of life in the Book of Abraham. This powerful book also contains other information that if it was possessed by the wrong hands it would give the dark elders control of the world and the world would end as we know it.
The Book of Abraham is stolen from Nicholas Flamel and with the help of two mortal teenager twins, Sophie and Josh Newman; the quest begins to retrieve the book and to save the world in the process.
I found the book slow and really not that interesting. It is nice to have the mythological characters spattered throughout the book, but the book is dull and lacked humour and excitement.
The Book of Abraham is stolen from Nicholas Flamel and with the help of two mortal teenager twins, Sophie and Josh Newman; the quest begins to retrieve the book and to save the world in the process.
I found the book slow and really not that interesting. It is nice to have the mythological characters spattered throughout the book, but the book is dull and lacked humour and excitement.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Listen, I'm all for youth fiction that's chock-full of parallel magical worlds and chosen one narratives, but this first entry in Michael Scott's series is so fast-paced that it's bound to give more skeptical readers whiplash. Even 12-year-old me would have been raising an eyebrow at the fact that Sophie and Josh went from summer jobs in cute shops to magical skirmishes with immortal warriors to hidden dimensions with dinosaurs to the last battle of a goddess to prophetic, world-ending importance in the span of 48 hours.
In terms of the twin protagonists themselves, Scott never quite manages to characterize them as close siblings but also as individuals with their own personalities, so he splits the difference and doesn't hit either mark. In books aimed at a younger demographic, main characters can sometimes be flattened so that they're more of a blank slate the reader can project onto, but this only serves to make the standout biographical choices for the twins seem stranger. Their parents are both archaeologists! They're staying with a great-aunt who is simultaneously overbearing and absent from the story altogether! They have a shared blog! They know kung fu! It's too much, and it's all delivered at exactly the moment where these biographical tidbits will be relevant, and not an instant before.
In terms of the twin protagonists themselves, Scott never quite manages to characterize them as close siblings but also as individuals with their own personalities, so he splits the difference and doesn't hit either mark. In books aimed at a younger demographic, main characters can sometimes be flattened so that they're more of a blank slate the reader can project onto, but this only serves to make the standout biographical choices for the twins seem stranger. Their parents are both archaeologists! They're staying with a great-aunt who is simultaneously overbearing and absent from the story altogether! They have a shared blog! They know kung fu! It's too much, and it's all delivered at exactly the moment where these biographical tidbits will be relevant, and not an instant before.
Good times. I haven't read this since 2007, I'm glad I got a chance to reread (or re-listen).
Things I noticed this time;
Scatty is my favorite character. She's so funny! Love her.
Nicholas Flamel has his funny moments, but he's more of a mentor.
Perinelle; still awesome, ass-kicking.
Sophie; I could like her. She's likable as a good girl.
Josh: STOP BEING A TOOL, JOSH!! Seriously, he's jealous of his sister getting sick from being Awakened? I didn't recognize how much of a Tool he was until my second read-through.
John Dee; he's a villain I can get. He's good at telling partial truths and sees himself as a hero in his own eyes. I loved that James Bond has so much basis on the real John Dee.
Well, it's obvious that Michael Dylan Scott has learned and forgotten more mythology than I've ever learned in my entire lifetime. And people come to me with questions about mythology. I think that's so cool.
It's worth a read if you're a Harry Potter nerd, but it's so different from Harry Potter, so you can really enjoy the originality of this book. Go read it!
Things I noticed this time;
Scatty is my favorite character. She's so funny! Love her.
Nicholas Flamel has his funny moments, but he's more of a mentor.
Perinelle; still awesome, ass-kicking.
Sophie; I could like her. She's likable as a good girl.
Josh: STOP BEING A TOOL, JOSH!! Seriously, he's jealous of his sister getting sick from being Awakened? I didn't recognize how much of a Tool he was until my second read-through.
John Dee; he's a villain I can get. He's good at telling partial truths and sees himself as a hero in his own eyes. I loved that James Bond has so much basis on the real John Dee.
Well, it's obvious that Michael Dylan Scott has learned and forgotten more mythology than I've ever learned in my entire lifetime. And people come to me with questions about mythology. I think that's so cool.
It's worth a read if you're a Harry Potter nerd, but it's so different from Harry Potter, so you can really enjoy the originality of this book. Go read it!
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a great book for middle schoolers. It is action packed, has a great storyline, and incorporates numerous different mythologies.
I enjoyed this book a lot. My daughter started reading it and told me I would enjoy it, so I read it. I'm sure my son will read it next.
I enjoyed this book a lot. My daughter started reading it and told me I would enjoy it, so I read it. I'm sure my son will read it next.
Don't know why I never picked up this series before. Great fantasy, lots of action. The audio version was fine.
Summary: While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco, fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, suddenly find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient and powerful book holding the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life.
Summary: While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco, fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, suddenly find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient and powerful book holding the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life.
This was a fun YA novel. A tale of good versus evil where the concept of truly good or truly evil comes into play very lightly. I could have used more depth to the characters but as the book spans 2 days I can understand that the characterization could take place over the entire course of the series. Overall this was a good introduction to the concepts and characters of the series and enticed me to continue on the journey to see what happens next.
Me tardé un poco en leer este libro porque no me siento motivada a leer. Sin embargo, me gustó bastante. Desde luego voy a leer los siguientes próximamente.
I need the second book ASAP, this is so great. IT HAS ALL THE BEST MYTHOLOGICAL THINGS EVER
Excellent! The story is well imagined. This is what I would call fun fantasy. It has suspense, action, magic, and a little bit of humor.